A full term for a US President is 4 years, which is 1,461 days. Most presidents who did not reach the 1,461 days died in office, resigned, or had been elevated from the vice presidency to fill a vacancy. However, there are four exceptions, presidents who served a full term and yet it was less than 1,461 days. How does that work?
George Washington wasn't inaugurated until April 30, 1789. As the new government was just getting started, Washington wasn't elected until April 6th. He didn't leave Mt. Vernon until April 16 and was inaugurated upon arriving in New York City. His first full term was 1,404 days.
John Adams served from March 4, 1797 to March 4, 1801. Thanks to the absence of a leap day in 1800, his time in office was only 1,460 days. Leap days don't occur in years divisible by 100 unless it is divisible by 400. Thus, 2000 had a leap day for Bill Clinton's second term, but 1800 didn't for John Adams.
William McKinley's first term started on March 4, 1897 and ended on March 4, 1901. Just like Adams, his term was missing a leap day in 1900. Unlike Adams, he was reelected. He was assassinated 6 months into his second term.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt served for 3 full terms and began a 4th when he died. The 20th Amendment had been ratified shortly before his inauguration in 1933. The amendment changed inauguration day from March 4 to January 20. FDR's first term began on March 4, 1933, but ended on January 20, 1937. This proved to be only 1,418 days.
Of note, both John Tyler (1841-1845) and Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) had longer partial terms than either Washington or Roosevelt's full terms. Tyler took over after William Henry Harrison died only 1 month into office. That left 1,430 days for Tyler's partial term. Johnson became president after Lincoln's assassination and served 1,419 days.
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